Field-gun carriage.



E. SCHNEIDER.

FIELD GUN CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1, 19I5.

1,196,298. Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

3 SHEETS-*SHEET 1.

a/ I A D E. SCHNEIDER.

FIELD GUN CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 1,1915.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

'3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

E. SCHNEIDER.

FIELD GUN CARRIAGE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY I] 1915.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Will,

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Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER, OF PARIS, FRANCE.

FIELD-GUN CARRIAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 1916.

Application filed July 1, 1915. Serial No. 37,539.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, EUGENE SCHNEIDER, a citizen of France, resident of Paris, France, have invented a new and useful Improvement in or Relating to Field-Gun Carriages, which is fully set forth in the following specification.

This invention relates to field gun carriages of the kind having divided trails. It is known that in gun carriages of this type as hitherto constructed, it is essential that it should be possible to lower the two trail members onto uneven ground and moreover to provide for a certain amount of mobility of the points of support formed by the anchoring devices. In order to obtain these results it has been proposed to connect the trail members to the axle tree or to the body of the gun carriage by means of universal joints, the trail members being connected with each other by means of a cross-piece;

it has also been proposed to connect the trail members with a head plate and to pivot this assemblage of the head plate and the two trail members to the axle tree by means of a longitudinal pivot. These known means necessitate the employment of universal joints and of a connecting cross-piece which entails complications or the employment of a longitudinal pivot projecting from the axle tree and invariably encumbering to a certain extent the space between the axle tree and the inner walls of the two trail members. Now in gun carriages of the type in question it is desirable that it should be possible to reduce to the minimum the encumbrance of the space between the axle tree and the inner faces of the trail members, While nevertheless causing both the axle tree and the trail members to take the firing strains. With this object it is advantageous to be able to bring the pivot of the small or top carriage as close as possible to the axis of the axle tree and to joint the trail members as close as possible to the axis of the axle tree.

According to the present invention these results are obtained by the employment of a sleeve engaging with the median part of the axle tree by means of grooves and feathers, this sleeve forming the connecting member between the head plate (which carries the pivot of the top carriage) which may be constituted by the axle tree itself, and two oppositely screw threaded sockets upon which the trail members are pivoted. In this manner by the intermediary of the central sleeve, the axle tree, the support of the top carrlage and the sockets carrying the trail members which are displaceable about the axls of the axle tree are all rigidly connected, in short the connecting element between the support of the top carriage and the trail members which, in the known arrangements, is external to the axle tree and constituted either by a cross-piece or by a prO eoting pivot in the present case is carried around the axle tree whereby its volume is reduced to the minimum while at the same time this arrangement enables the axle tree to take the firing strains in the most direct and advantageous manner.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect, the same will be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1, 2 and 3 illustrate one form of the invention, respectively in partial longitudinal section on the line II of Fig. 2 in sectional plan and in cross-section on the line III-III of Fig. 2. Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate a second form of the invention, respectively in sectional elevation on the line IVIV of Fig. 5 and in sectional plan, the connecting sleeve being shown in section in the upper half of Fig. 5 and in elevation in the lower half of this figure.

In the example illustrated by Figs. 1 to 3, A designates the axle tree of the gun carriage. The median portion of the axle tree which is suitably enlarged forms by means of an extension B a support for the pivot C of the top carriage D. Upon the said median portion of the axle tree the tubular member E is passed; this member establishes a connection between the axle tree, the top carriage and the trail members. This sleeve E is recessed to permit of the passage of the extension B. It is fitted by means of grooves and feathers for example by means of feathers a formed upon the axle tree and engaged in corresponding grooves E on the sleeve E. The length of the grooves E is such as to enable the sleeve to slide to a limited extent upon the axle tree. The connection between the sleeve E and the trail members is obtained in the following manner. The trail members F, F are pivoted by pivots f f respectively to sockets G G respectively. These sockets are passed onto the axle tree on either side of the median portion upon which the sleeve E is guided. The socket Gr is retained upon the axle tree between a collar H and the corresponding extremity of the enlarged median portion of the axle tree. The socket G is similarly retained between the collar H and the other extremity of the enlarged median portion of the axle tree. The socket G engages by means of external left-hand screw threads 9 with corresponding internal threads in the sleeve E. The socket G similarly engages by right-hand'threads g with corresponding internal threads in the sleeve E. It will be apparent that the sleeve E which surrounds the axle tree constitutes a connecting member arranged as closely as possible to the axis of the axle tree and which renders the axle tree itself, the support of the top carriage B and the trail members F, F all rigid while nevertheless permitting of an ascending and descending movement of the trail members to adapt their rear extremities to irregularities in the ground. An upward movement of the trail member F for example, would produce a downward movement of the same amplitude of the trail member F, so that the support of the top carriage remains stationary. When one of the supporting sockets G or G is displaced, the sleeve E, which is prevented from rotating relatively to the axle tree becomes screwed onto one of the sockets while simultaneously unscrewing relatively to the other; the net result is a longitudinal displacement of the sleeve upon the feathers a 011 the axle tree.

In the example illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, the supporting sockets G, G are internally threaded and screwed onto a corresponding thread (6 and- 6 respectively) formed at the end of the sleeve E. In this construction also this sleeve is guided by grooves E upon feathers a projecting from the median portion of the axle tree A. The pivot C of the small carriage D is carried by an extension B formed on a sleeve J in which internal grooves j are formed for engaging feathers E formed upon the outer surface of the sleeve E.

It will be noted that in both embodiments of the invention the connection between the axle tree A, the support B of the top carriage and the trail members F, F is effected without the help of members projecting laterally from the axle tree. The parts are thus rendered rigid by members located as closely as possible to the axis of the axle tree while at the same time they are uniformly distributed about this axis.

What I. claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a gun carriage, an axle, trail supporting members revolubly mounted on said axle, and a sleeve engaging said axle and said members for causing the movements of said members around the axle to have definite relations to one another, the said sleeve being fixed against angular movements around the axle.

2. In a gun carriage, an axle, trail members associated with said axle, and a sleevelike member having sliding engagement with said axle and having screw-threadedengagement with said trail members for causing the movements of said trail members with respect to the axle to have definite relations to one another. 7

8. In a gun carriage, an axle, trail supporting members revolubly mounted on said axle, and a sleeve-like member embracing said axle and engaging with said supporting members for transmitting movement of one of said members to the other of said members angularly around the axle in a direction opposite to the movement of the firstmentioned member.

4:. In a gun carriage, an axle, a member extending from said axle for supporting a gun cradle, trail supports revolubly mounted on said axle, and means longitudinally slidable on said axle and engaging said trail supports for transmitting motion of one of said supports to another of said supports.

5. In a gun carriage, an axle, trail supporting members revolubly mounted on said axle, a sleeve coaxial with said axle and having movable engagement with said axle and said members for causing the movements of said members around the axle to have deiinite relations to one another, and a gun l support carried by said axle.

6. In a gun carriage, an axle, trail supports revolubly associated with said axle, and a member having grooved and feathered engagement with said axle and connection members for causing the movements of said members around the axle to have definite relations to one another.

8. In a gun carriage, an axle having an enlarged median portion, sockets revolubly mounted on said axle abutting said median portion, and a sleeve-like member partially surrounding said axle and engaging said sockets to cause the movements of the same around the axle to have definite relations to one another.

9. In a gun carriage, an axle having an enlarged portion, trail supports associated with said axle and provided with screwthreaded portions, and a sleeve-like member slidable on said axle and having screw threaded portions for engaging said supports to transmit movement of one of said trail supports to another of said trail supports.

10. In a gun carriage support, an axle having an enlarged portion, sockets rotatably mounted on said axle, trail members pivoted to said sockets, and a sleeve partially surrounding said enlarged portion of said axle and associated with said sockets to force them against the enlarged portion and to cause the movements of said sockets around the axle to have definite relations to one another.

11. In a gun carriage, an axle, independent trail supporting members each revolubly mounted on said axle, and means longitudinally slidable on said axle for transmitting the movement of one member to the other.

12. In a wheeled gun carriage, an axle for supporting a gun carriage, a pair of trail supporting members revolubly mounted on said axle, and a sleeve having sliding engagement with the axle and provided with reversely threaded connections with said members whereby the displacement of one trail member causes an opposite displacement of the companion trail member.

13. In a wheeled gun carriage, an axle having an enlarged central portion provided with a carriage supporting extension, a pair of trail supporting members revolubly mounted on said axle, and a sleeve having sliding engagement with said enlarged portion and provided with reversely threaded connections with said members whereby the displacement of one trail member causes an opposite displacement of the companion trail member.

14. In a wheeled gun carriage, an axle having an enlarged central portion provided with an extension having a pivot receiving socket, a pair of trail supporting members revolubly mounted on said axle, and a sleeve having a slidable engagement with said enlarged portion and provided with reversely threaded connections with said members whereby the displacement of one trail member causes an opposite displacement of the companion trail member.

15. In a wheeled gun carriage, an axle having an enlarged central portion provided with an extension having a pivot receiving socket, a pair of trail supporting members revolubly mounted on said axle and provided with external right and left hand threads, and a two-part sleeve for receiving said trail supporting members, said sleeve slidable on said enlarged portion and having a splined engagement therewith and provided with a slot for receiving said extension.

16. In a gun carriage, an axle, trail supports associated with said axle and provided with screw threaded portions, and a sleeve-like member slidable on said axle and having screw-threaded portions for engaging said supports to transmit movement of one of said trail supports to another of said trail supports. I

17. In a gun carriage, an axle, trail supporting members revolubly mounted on said axle, and means coaxial with said axle and engaging said members for transmitting movement of one of said members to the other of said members in a direction opposite to the movement of said first-mentioned member.

18. In a gun carriage, an axle, trail supporting members revolubly mounted on said axle, and means coaxial With said axle and provided with threaded connections with said members for transmitting movement of one of said members to the other of said members in a direction opposite to the movement of said first-mentioned member.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EUGENE SCHNEIDER.

Witnesses:

B. H. LEVELING, CHAS. P. PRESSLY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. O. 

